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Panthers on road at Appling County

Liberty County is 1-0 after defeating the Bradwell Tigers, 13-7, last Friday at Olvey Field. Tonight, the Panthers travel to Baxley to battle the Appling County Pirates.The Pirates are 2-1 against the Panthers, but the teams have not faced off since 2003. Last week, the Pirates played the Wayne County Yellow Jackets, and the non-region game ended in a 14-14 tie.The Panther offense notched 212 rushing yards against Bradwell, and quarterback JJ Grant was 4-of-5 passing for 15 yards and a touchdown. Running back Trentice Williams had 11 carries for 125 yards, while Grant had five carries for 50 yards. Andre Haggary carried the ball six times for 32 yards. According to the official stats, DJ Bratcher’s touchdown return in the opening kickoff return was good for 88 yards.Panther coach Kirk Warner said Grant likely will be the starter tonight.“JJ(Grant) deserves to start the game, but Jordan(Waters) will be ready in case we need a spark,” Warner said. “Whoever is doing well in the game is who we are going to ride with.”The Panther defense came out strong against the Tigers last week. Raekwon McMillan led with seven solo tackles, four assists, two tackles for loss and a sack. Jeremy Caldwell-Fabergas had five solo tackles, three assists and a sack. Taison Walls and Darrien Townsend each had one sack.But Warner said the defense need to be ready for a strong Pirate offense.“They run the spread. They have a lot of athletes, and they rotate between two and three different quarterbacks, depending on what their strong suit is, and that makes them very hard to prepare for,” Warner said. “Defensively, we did a lot of things right, but on Monday during our film session, we pointed out what they did wrong to bring them back down to Earth. But I think they will step up to the challenge again this week.”The Panthers know from recent history what a strong start to the season can mean.“The last time we started the season 2-0 (in 2009), we made it to the state playoffs, and that is motivation enough for them,” Warner said.